Unkrada 1909

Nicholas Roerich made this painting, Unkrada, and it feels like it came into being through a series of intuitive gestures, a kind of wandering in paint, don’t you think? I can imagine Roerich standing before the canvas, brush in hand, feeling the weight of the world, but also the lightness of being in nature. Look at those small delicate touches of yellow that make up the field of flowers. I think he was asking himself questions, like, how do I capture the feeling of being connected to nature, to this woman, to the ancient past? Roerich had this interesting way of flattening space but also suggesting depth with color and texture; it reminds me of Puvis de Chavannes, but with a mystic twist. Painting for Roerich was a way to connect with something bigger than himself, and it really shows. It's like we're invited into his own personal world of inquiry.